This invention relates to safety seats for conveyances such as vehicles. The invention has particular application as a safety seat for children, and is intended to provide an improved level of protection to the child by reducing the amount of force the restraining straps exert upon the child during a collision.
Conventional child safety seats have restraining straps that hold the child in place. In the event of an accident, the restraining straps exert a restraining force upon the child to hold the child securely in place and prevent the child from moving forward. While it is important to hold the child securely in place, the child can possibly sustain injury as a result of the significant force the restraining straps apply to the upper body of the child during a sudden stop or deceleration. Children are especially vulnerable to forces applied to their upper bodies because their heads are relatively heavy compared to the rest of their body. Children also have relatively weak necks with soft bones and stretchy ligaments making them more susceptible to injury. Conventional child safety seats have no specific mechanism to dissipate energy or force exerted upon the child during a collision. As such, there is a need for a child safety seat that reduces the amount of force applied to the child by the restraining straps during a sudden deceleration.
The safety seat of the present invention includes an energy-absorbing feature that reduces the load applied to the child in a collision or during a sudden stop or deceleration. The energy absorbing feature of this invention helps absorb shock and lessen the potential injury to the head and chest of the child, the parts of the body most vulnerable in a collision.